Dreaming My Memories
by The Other Side of Darkness
Summary: AU. Naruto is you average sixteen yearold swordsmen in training... Atleast he was till he finds out he's a long way from home. NaruIno KibaTen ShinoHina others maybe. rated for sexual refference.


ok i know that my word is about as reliable as... well the incarnation of unreliability but i promise you all who are reading this that if this turns out as good as i want then i will post up several new chapters in Naruto: What If...? by the end of december. You see this small story is going to be a test, find out if i still have a talent for writing in the naruto world. If i do, i update others. if i only get flames and or nothing for this one then i guess i have to quit for awhile and come back when i feel ready. I'm really sorry people but believe me, i really do want to write that other story, but i don't currently feel confident in my abilities to continue it.

Side note: Despite appearances, this is not a highschool fic. I think HS fics are trash and deserve only to be burned. But that's just me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I wish I did. Though it might be fun.

Chapter one: Dreaming My Memories.

(Naruto's POV.)

I stood on nothing but air. I must have been a couple miles up, probably more, if I'm guessing right. The only two things I had to go on were a giant fox with nine tails and a giant frog in one of those weird japanese shirt things. Each one of those critters stood so tall that the trees around them hardly made it past their ankle and wrist joints.

The toad was multi-shade red and had a short sword, atleast compared to it's size, strapped to its side. It hopped with a purpose towards the giant red-orange fox with nine writhing tails. On the toad's back I could just barely make out a crop of yellow hair that reminded me of my own spikey, sun kissed mane.

As if picking up on my desire to see who it was with the yellow hair on the giant toad, some deity or force transported me down to the side of the figure atop the toad. Looking at the man, I could only assume that I was somehow related to him. His lightly tanned skin matched mine except maybe a shade or two darker. He wore a long red trench coat that had short sleeves and a white flame-like decoration near the bottom edges of it, beneath that a grey armor plated vest with a ton of pockets, beneath that was a dark blue long sleeve shirt. His pants were the same blue as his shirt and stopped just a few inches below the knees where they were met by tightly wrapped bandages. After that there were his weird as hell shoes, part boot part sandle with the toes on each foot showing, inviting someone to stomp on them with all the might they possessed in their legs. On his head just above his was eyes some weird kind of bandana with a metal plate dipicting what appeared to be a glyphic leaf held his mess of hair out of his eyes.

His eyes, those were what stopped the breath in my lungs. His eyes, a delicate cerulean that belied any emotion he may try to hide from the world. His eyes were what shouted to me that this man, if nothing else, was my father... atleast my biological father.

After staring into his eyes for a moment more I finally noticed a wiggling bundle in his left arm. I looked at that bundle and was not surprised to see myself as a baby, the strange whisker birthmarks on my cheeks still fresh and pink. I couldn't have been any more than a couple hours old.

I looked behind me, at the fox, then back at my father. I wasn't sure how I knew, but I knew that pops here was going to do something to that fox... something that involved me. And if that solemn tint in his deep ocean eyes and the grin on his face that resembled the smirk of a man with nowhere to go but up meant anything... it would kill him doing it.

As he neared the fox he started making strange motions with one hand in fast precession. As his hands moved he was saying something, but it was then I noticed that this whole time, the world I was witnessing was like a movie on mute. No sound but a dull static-y hiss.

Suddenly the hand movments stopped and pops had a slightly pained expression. The giant fox looked stricken then, just as suddenly as the hand signs stopped, the critter began racing towards the baby, towards me, while going through a process modern scientists call 'spaghettification'. The process entails something being stretched into a noodle like shap as it is sucked into the unknowable beyond that is the center of a blackhole.

The head of the mondo beast was the last to coming hurtling towards me and as it came closer finally a sound picked up in the world. The sound of a baby crying. The sound of _me_ crying.

Naruto's house, seven A.M., a small town in japan

My eyes opened slowly to the wailing sound of my baby sister crying over in the next room. I slowly sat up and put one hand to my head before getting out of bed and walking into her room. I gently reached in and picked her up, smiling at her.

"Hey, Emi-chan," I cooed softly to her," You have bad dreams too?"

The moment I picked her up, Emiko stopped crying. She always seemed to calm down when I was near.

She smiled her ever adorable toothless baby smile at me and made her own gurgles and noises back at me, trying to answer me as best her mouth could. I just smiled back at her and rocked her gently in my arms as I walked out of her room, down the stairs and into the kitchen.

I set Emiko in her high-chair and began to heat up a pot of water while preparing a bottle of formula for her. As I handed her the bottle, my dad walked into the kitchen. Not my biological father, like in my dream, but my adopted dad. As cliche as this may sound, I was left on my dad, Umino Iruka, and my mom's, Umino Anko, doorstep. They reported it to the local police and I was given to a orphanage for a month and then, because noone showed up to claim me, the Uminos adopted me.

"Morning, Naruto," he said as he sat down at the table waiting for breakfast. I nodded to him and put on a pot of coffee. If dad was up, mom would be too soon, and she was scary when she didn't have her coffee.

I then reached into the fridge and got out a few eggs, some bacon, and a carton of orange juice. Some of you may think it's just a bit odd that I'm the one who cooks breakfast. Before you ask, no it's not ecause my parents are lazy, well atleast dad isn't, and they do know how to cook. I just cook better than they do. My girl thinks I should look into becoming a professional chef. I think she's exaggerating.

Just as I finished with the bacon mom came in and plopped down next to dad. She had bags under her eyes and when dad tried to speak to her she gave a fierce growl in return.

"Right... I'll get your coffee," he said to her, a little blue in the face. Little Emiko just stared at mom for a moment before throwing her bottle at the table in attempt to give it to mom. Milk always made her feel better maybe it would do the same for mom.

Mom looked at it and smiled a little.

"Thanks, Emi-chan," she said getting up to bring the bottle back to her daughter, "but I need something with a little more kick than milk." Mom is sweet, really she is, but mostly only to family and only after she's had her coffee, only Emiko was ever spared her morning growls. She's also very protective of her precious people. I remember the look on my girls face after she had a private chat with my mom. I had to convince her that someone couldn't really do those kinds of things with a plastic spoon before she came back to my house a month later.

Dad gave her the mug of coffee she needed. She took a sip as she sat back down and made a satisfied sound. She instantly went from zombie to angel and kissed dad's cheek in thanks. A moment or so later I gave everyone a plate of bacon and eggs, and dad and I had a cup of orange juice.

I sat down next to Emiko's high-chair and began eating for a moment, before I looked up at my parents. I thought about whether or not I should tell them about my dream. My shrink said I should, said it would make some of the nightmares stop.

I decided to give it a try.

"I had a dream..." I began, keeping my eyes on my plate as I stuck another piece of bacon in my mouth. I knew that they were paying attention already because the noises they usually made while eating stopped.

"What about?" dad urged me to continue.

"I think... it was about my father... my biological father," I elaborated to them.

"What about him?" this time it was my mom. I looked up and noticed that everyone, even Emiko was staring at me. I guess she was curious about what was going on, what made mom and dad act so weird all of a sudden.

"It's gonna sound weird," I wanted to warn them.

"Dreams are always weird," dad said sagely.

"He was standing on top of a giant toad," I said to test their reactions. Neither one looked too surprised by this, so I continued, "he was holding me in his arms, and we were going towards this giant ninetailed fox. I was really young, like only a couple hours old. Then he started making these hand signs and saying something that I couldn't hear and suddenly the fox started just going into my stomach."

Mom and dad looked at eachother for a moment. They seemed to be comunicating silently, deciding whether or not to tell me something. When they finally looked back at me they had a strange look in their eyes. It looked like... Hope.

Just as they were about to speak the doorbell wrang.

"That's probably Ino-chan," I said and got up to get the door.

There, standing in her school uniform, was my girl, Yamanaka Ino. Ino once had long hair, back when she and every other girl in our school had a crush on that brooding idiot Uchiha Sasuke. Now she had it cut short, coming to just below her chin. She never wore make-up, never needed it really. Her pale, creamy skin made her grey-blue eyes stand out all that much more. The most beautiful thing about her was her legs. In my opinion they were perfect. That's the only word fit to describe them.

"Morning, Fish cake," she teased. She's the only one I'd ever let call me 'Fish cake'. Everyone else just called me Naruto, or in the case of the Uchiha, dobe.

Funny if I really think about it. In one sense I am a dobe, a failure, a drop out. But when it comes to sword play, I have yet to meet my match. Even the 'Mighty Sasuke' has fallen to my bokken... more than once, even with his Sharingan. In just about everything else, though, he beats me. I don't really have a problem with it though. I only even try to pass in the classes so that I can continue to be on the kendo team.

"Morning, Flower," my pet name for her since she workded at a flower shop her folks owned every now and then, "Just let me get dressed and I'll be right back."

She quirked one eyebrow," Oh, can I watch?"

I quirked an eyebrow back and said, "If you can sneak into my room."

Just as she was about to reply my mom said unnecessarily loud, pointing out that she was eeves dropping, to my father, "Babe, I think the _knives_ need sharpening." She emphasized the word 'knives' and Ino shuddered.

"You know what, Fish cake, I'll just wait on the porch," she kissed my cheek and walked back out the door. I had to hold in my laughter at her response. I know it's kind of cruel, but seeing someone go from trying to be seductive to being blue in the face from fear is funny... I don't care who you are. (A/N: I couldn't help it. Larry The Cable guy made me say it.)

I made my way back up to my room, an amused smile on my face. Speaking of seduction, Ino-chan and I are both sixteen and hormone driven, but we're not morons. Other teens our age(CoughKiba and Ten-tencough) may be doing _that_ already, but we know the consequences of it. Even with protection, there is no one hundred percent assured way to prevent pregnancy unless you're homosexual or you just remain abstinent. I wont lie and say that Ino-chan and I haven't experimented though. I know a full collection of ways to make her moan my name without even touching her breasts, let alone going below her belt line. She could do the same for me.

Once in my room I changed from my loose blue shirt and shorts into my black, school uniform. It consisted of three parts. A black, long sleeve dress jacket, a pair of black dress pants, and a white business shirt. Students were allowed to pick their own shoes to wear as long as the shoes were gender appropriate. All in all I wouldn't even wear the damn uniform at all if my mom weren't a cop and Ino wasn't so damned persistent about it. My footware of choice was a pare of black leather hiking boots.

After I was done dressing I went back into the kitchen where my pot of water was finally boiling and poured some of it into a cup of instant ramen. I know others would just pour in water and stick it in the microwave, but if I don't boil the water on the stove it just ends up coming out all nasty. I stirred my ramen as I made my was back to the porch to meet up with Ino-chan.

When I got out there, there was another somebody that I hadn't expected to see. Haruno Sakura. She was a loud girl, had dyed pink hair, and was the president of the Uchiha Sasuke fanclub. Awhile back ago I had a crush on her, but it faded when one time I beat her precious Uchiha in a sword match and she bashed me harder than any hit he landed on me. I learned then that, even if I was stronger then the Uchiha, I'd always be nothing but a dobe in her eyes. We were friends now, but it was a scratchy friendship (I'd insult Sasuke on his sword play, she'd bop me one.).

"I still can't believe you gave up Sasuke-kun for the dobe," she was saying to Ino as I came out with my ramen cup in hand, "Not that you really had a chance of getting him against me, but Naruto?" It was the same question she'd ask every few weeks for the last three years since Ino-chan and I started dating.

Ignoring the second comment Ino-chan responded with, "I made a better decision, Forehead girl. I mean, how many orgasms have you had from Sasuke without sex?" Ino-chan never really was one to hold things back. Sakura turned a deep red.

"Only in it for the pleasure, huh?," I said in mock hurt. Ino just smirked.

"Well, I might love ya too," She said then kissed my lips. Sakura lost her red coloring and instead turned green.

"Only 'might'," I asked with an eyebrow up as she released me from her kiss.

"Yep," she teased with a smile.

"Ugh," Sakura stated her distaste at the thought of her bestfriend and rival kissing me, "I don't even want to immagine what he tastes like."

"Ramen," Ino-chan said with a sadistic smirk aimed at Sakura.

"Oh yuck!" Both Ino and I laughed as we began the two mile trek to school. Sakura following behind us, making a show of gagging and spitting. I finished my cup of ramen before we were even twenty-five feet from my house.

about thirty minutes later, Konoha School of Sword Arts and Ninja Training

When we got there Sakura immediately split off from us, joining the rest of the fan-girls in their special corner of the courtyard. Ino and I went to sit at the base of an apple tree, content to just be in each others company till the school bell wrang.

Our school was a large complex, more like a castle in actuallity, and could house up to three thousand students at one time. It had high grey, walls around the courtyard, a grand entrance, an orchard, a large stadium for the sword tournaments and practice, and nearly endless hallways on all six levels of the school. The school had four floors at ground level or above and two below. The lowest floor prohibited access though.

In this school you could of course learn ninja and sword skills, but aside from two mandatory classes( math and history) one could choose to learn metalurgy, botony, herpatology, animal biography, marine biology, geography, mapping, carpentry, physics, medical sciences, masseus techniue, and a number of other things. Only a small percentage of the students from this school actually became swordsmen or ninjas.

"Hey!" The loud voice of Inuzuka Kiba disturbed the peace that had settled around Ino-chan and me. He was walking towards us excitedly his nin-dog, Akamaru, and his girlfriend, Ten-ten, on either side.

"Yo, Dog-breath," I greeted back. Inuzuka glared for a moment then his bright smile returned to his face. Akamaru, once the runt of the litter, stood higher than Kiba's waist line. He never wore a collar, he never needed to, everyone only knew one person who had a runty white dog as big as a dog house.

"You'll never guess what we saw this morning," He said with bright amusement in his eyes and voice.

Ino and eye waited expectantly then, finally getting impatient, Ino said, "Please, do tell."

"Uchiha Sasuke, limping to school, an icepack on his crotch," Ten-ten elaborated for her boyfriend. Ten-ten Makoto (A/N: is that right?) was a kind, if deadly, girl a year ahead of Kiba, Ino, and me. She had brown eyes and hair, and like her boyfriend, never wore the tacky school uniforms. She was also the most renound weapons specialist in school, having mastered every weapon within her availability.

"One of his fangirls finally get tired of the cold shoulder?" I asked, knowing that was the least likely thing in the world to happen.

"Nope. The teme has had his eye on the Hyuga girl for awhile, ya know? Well today he tried to hit on her," Kiba said, his amused smirk growing ever wider.

"Oh, so Shino gave him a swift kick," Ino said logically. Shino was the logical choice. The silent bug collecter was both very formiddable, able to best the Uchiha in everything he did and not really care, protective of those he cared about. He was also formally engaged to Hyuuga Hinata from birth, which worked out ok since both of them seemed happy( with shino you could never really tell) about the arrangement.

"Nope," Ten-ten had a grin to match her boyfriend's.

"What, then who?"

Neither one answered, just smirked at us.

Who else could it be? Surely it wasn't... Then it clicked for me and I couldn't hold in the laughter. It rolled out of me like a sack of marbles.

"What? What is it?" Ino-chan asked, staring at me now.

I ushered in my control for a moment to breath out, "Hinata."

Her eyes widened and she looked up to see both Ten-ten and Kiba nodding.

"No way. Not Hinata. Not gentle, sweet, never hurt a fly Hinata," Ino-chan protested, disbeleif in her eyes. Hyuuga Hinata was, as my girl said, gentle, sweet, caring, and had that never hurt a fly if your life depended on it kind of personality. She was quiet and shy and grimaced at the though of violence. She was a bit prude and nearly fainted anytime Ino-chan started describing one of our _special_ cuddle sessions.

"See for yourself," Kiba held out a picture of Hinata mid kick, and the realization of where that kick was aimed hitting Sasuke like a ton of bricks. Just by looking at that picture you could tell that not even a second before, Uchiha had that damned cocky grin. The only way that proof of Hinata giving him blue balls would have been more satisfying would have been if I had been there to witness it myself.

A few moments later Sasuke arrived, crotch hugging ice pack still in place. Behind him by only a few second, were Hinata and Shino. Hinata looked the angriest anyone had ever seen her at anytime in her life, her face glowing red with rage. Behind her by only a few steps, shino was showing on his face the most emotion anyone had seen at anytime in his life, an amused smile.

Ten-ten, Kiba, Ino-chan, and I couldn't help but laugh as we watched the Uchiha walk past his fangirls, and stricken looks crossed their faces before they tried to tend to his wound. He brushed them off with a slight blush one one of them asked him if he wanted her to kiss it and make it better, which resulted in uproarious laughter from everyone but Sasuke and the girl in question who, realizing what she had said, looked ready to die of emberassment.

"I almost feel sorry for her. I mean, it could have been me saying something that stupid," Ino said through her delicate, angel laughs.

Ten-ten smirked arrogantly, "Well I'm lucky. I never had it in me to be a fangirl."

Both Kiba and Akamaru snorted, "And I'm sure the name 'Neiji' means nothing to you."

Ten-ten frowned and hit him on the top of the head, but then kissed him, probably with tongue, and said as she pulled away, "It does now."

Ino-chan and I just shook our heads. Those two were voted most likely, four years in a row, to be the first to have children out of everyone in the school. If even a portion of the rumors about the two of them were true, then that was most likely a correct assumption. If you want an accurate description of their love life try this. Think of every sexual and kinky thing you can. Now double it. Now triple it. That's about half the stuff they've done. Rabbits had nothing on these two.

"Get a room," I said. Kiba smirked at me.

"Remember your sixteenth birthday party?" Ten-ten had a sinister grin on her face.

"La la la la la, I can't hear you, la la la la la," I had put my fingers in my ears. I didn't even want to guess what they had done in my room. Yes, _my room_. I slept on the couch for a month, cleaned everything in my room with bleach several times.

I heard Ino-chan laughing at me and I pouted. She just leaned forward and kissed my cheek, saying I was cute when I pouted.

"Oh, c'mon! don't be so prude," Kiba said, "We know you two... do things to each other. And probably in his room."

"Are you kidding?!" Ino suddenly looked scared. "Anko is a fricken detective, and a sadistic one at that. No offense, Fishcake."

"None taken," I said with a small grin.

"We always keep it up in my room," I tried not to blush. Anyone passing by would think us almost as big of sexfiends as the two infront of us. Like I said before we didn't do that kind of stuff. We had a simple rule for it. Before eighteen, anything below the belt was off limits.

Just then the bell wrang. I stood up first then offered my hand to Ino-chan. She took it and we all walked towards the doors to the school.

A/N: Ok I'm gonna stop the chapter here. If you guys still think i have a talent for writing Naruto fiction. I'll post up chapter two. If not I'll drop this and the other two like rocks and find something else to wrok on. Please review.


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